SARANSK, Russia (Reuters) - Christian Cueva ballooned a penalty over the bar just before halftime as Peru and Denmark remained scoreless following a pulsating, physical opening 45 minutes in their Group C World Cup clash.

The referee consulted with the VAR (video assistant referee) system before awarding the spot kick to Cueva after a foul by Yussuf Poulsen, but he spurned the chance to break the deadlock, firing the ball high over the bar.